Diana Gabaldon's got the touch!
Last month I told you all about Diana Gabaldon's book Outlander. I mentioned that if you only read the first 50 pages, you'll think it's one of those romance girrrrly novels. But if you just keep reading, you'll find that it becomes a sci-fi, then mystery, then as the characters begin to interact with historical figures, you'll find that it becomes a historical fiction.
Gabaldon is talented.
Her books are addicting in the worst (best) way.
No, they are not "grief" books nor "poetry" books like I normally recommend. But these are books you can get lost in! Some days I still feel awful. The grief Beast rears its head, and I can't get any writing done, don't want to deal with people, and just take the phone off the hook. And now I can tell you that Gabaldon's books are great, perfect, the answer to those days!
I must tell you, too, that there is a grief and healing aspect to this series-- oh, did I mention that there are 6 books total in the Outlander series? Smile! Last month I shared an excerpt where one of the main characters talks about losing his mother who died in childbirth. There is also the on-going story of that same character being a bereaved sibling whose brother died in childhood from smallpox.
Well, I have now read the first three books in the series. Outlander, Dragonfly In Amber, and Voyager. I can tell you (a bit of a spoiler) that the main characters experience a difficult pregnancy, a premature birth, and the stillbirth of their daughter Faith. And I can tell you that while there is too much action and mystery happening in these books to show the mundane reality of grief, Gabaldon DOES do a great job of showing how the death of a child like this affects and effects people and their loved ones for entire life times. Faith is never forgotten, the grief isn't closeted, and Gabaldon writes an amazing story.
Maybe it's just that I'm really enjoying getting lost in this fiction, in becoming Claire and having adventures. Maybe I'm deep-down just a sucker for romance action. Maybe it's just that some days, my own grief & healing process is too difficult to deal with, and Gabaldon gives me some place to go and rest, restore, and escape a bit. And though you might think that I'm reaching far out there for this, I do believe that Gabaldon's representation of Faith gives me some healing to bring back to this real world with me.
I can't recommend Gabaldon's work enough. She's got the touch.
Outlander
Dragonfly
In Amber
Voyager
Drums
of Autumn
The
Fiery Cross
There is a sixth book in this series that has yet to be released-- check
out Diana's website to read more about it: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/gabaldon.html
Reviewer Biography
Kara L.C. Jones is a founder of KotaPress and a grieving mother who lost
her first born son on March 11, 1999 at 4:47 p.m. She works toward healing
by doing her own writing and offering poetry therapy consults to other
bereaved parents. If you wish to contact her, please send email to editor@kotapress.com
